Sia Rosenstein sat in her beautiful room, in front of her dresser, she lifted her eyes and took in her face which was decorated by a layer of light make up. She hated using cosmetics on her skin but today was something special. Today, she was going to meet the man who would probably be her husband. She had seen his photo and was shocked to know that the arranged match was between herself and a man who was the heir to the multinational A. C. Group of Industries.
The man was a heartthrob for the girls across the globe and claimed to be the most eligible bachelor by various magazines. It felt almost hilarious that he of all people was about to get into an arranged marriage.
Sia had seen the articles about him which portrayed him as an outstanding businessman who was soon to take over the A. C. Industries. His business ideas were called a genius's designs and his automobile ideas were already put into motion. Sia felt slightly overwhelmed after reading about him that she wondered if he'd agree to marry her.
Her family was quite influential, her father was the founder of Rosenstein Group of Industries and her mother was the CEO of her father Mr. Lowell's company. Even after being born into the family of the hardcore corporate family Sia wasn't like them, she was a doctor who had nothing to do with the business matters. She wondered if her wedding was a business deal too. Her parents were hardcore businesspeople and in the time span of twenty-seven years she had never got a chance to sit by parents and talk to them with an open heart.
Sia wasn't the kind of girl who would get into relationships easily, she had a hard hold on her emotions but once, just once her feelings had brought her to her knees. She had trusted a person in her past but her trust was shattered. She had recovered from that but since then, Sia kept her exterior as that of a practical person but on the inside she was quite kind and sensitive.
"Miss, they're here." The maid, Cecilia poked her head in the room and said making Sia's heart jump. She once again looked at the mirror and fixed her already set hair and stood up brushing away the creases on her beautiful blue dress. Her make up was set and she tried on a smile, it seemed to be nice enough but her eyes seemed dull whatever she did.
She walked with a measured poise and went downstairs, she had memorized the things that she would say to him and had also given a thought about her expressions and pulse.
Sia entered the hall where her father, David Rosenstein, mother Irene Rosenstein and the guests were seated, she gathered her confidence as she walked ahead. David Rosenstein had put together his fame and wealth all by himself with the help of his wife Irene Rosenstein. David was a man in his late fifties with most of the brown hair on his head and beard turned silver, he had deep dark eyes which could intimidate anyone. And, Irene Rosenstein was a daughter of a wealthy family, she was the heir of Mr. Richard Lowell and an exceptional beauty even at the age of late fifties, she had thick brown hair and sharp green eyes which gave one the feel as if she could stare right into his soul, Sia resembled a lot to her mother with the same eyes and hair, though Sia had a kinder heart which her mother didn't. The couple even in their old age had maintained themselves so well that the youngsters would make them their role models.
"There she is." She heard her father's voice.
Sia heard the sound of the someone's phone ringing followed by a smooth, deep voice, who excused themselves and walked towards the other side and Sia stopped before the man who sat on the large sofa with his long legs crossed over one another his dark hair were brushed back neatly giving him a touch of perfection except for the silver strands which shone from between the black locks, he was dressed in a expensive looking deep blue suit and had this look about him that would clearly make him stand out.
Sia's father gestured her to take a seat and she calmly took a seat, she faced a middle aged man whose sharp blue eyes assessed her carefully. Sia felt a chill running down her spine as she noticed that the man before her was none other than Alexander Callahan, one of the leading business tycoons of the country. He gave her a small intimidating smile and she smiled back, her pulse threatening to race out of control.
"Your daughter is very beautiful, David." Alexander said, his voice was not how Sia had imagined, she had thought that the businessman would sound cold with a no-nonsense tone but his voice was surprisingly smooth and warm.
Sia saw him smiling at her, his posture was quite relaxed and composed unlike her who was stiff.
"Th-Thanks." She said and blushed instantly as she was supposed to sound like confident woman instead of a stuttering mess. Besides, where was the one who was supposed to be my would-be husband? She wondered and as if responding to her thoughts Alexander called out to his son who had walked away talking on his phone.
"Ace?" The heavy voice of Alexander Callahan rang throughout the place and the man who was talking on his phone with his back towards them, turned around to face them.
Sia didn't look at his face, she kept her hands clasped over her lap feeling herself melting slowly. After the blow to her trust two years ago she was still recovering and she knew she had no right to make her own decisions but at least she could make her parents happy.
"We'll need to go dad, the Italian delegates are in the office." He spoke in a sleek, smooth voice which made the hair on Sia's arm stand up straight.
"Now? But weren't they coming next week?" Mr. Callahan asked.
"You know how unpredictable they are, dad."
Sia heard Mr. Callahan sigh deeply and she looked up at him, "I'm sorry, David, but we'll need to go for now." He stood up making Sia and her family rise too.
"So, soon? But Ace hasn't even seen Sia yet." Sia's mother Mrs. Rosenstein spoke up and Ace looked up at her.
"He'll come this weekend again." Mr. Callahan announced and Ace looked at his father.
Mr. Callahan ignored his son's gaze and walked up to Sia and placed his hand on her head, she looked up at the two oceans which stared down at her.
"This Saturday you both are to go on a date." Mr. Callahan said giving Sia a warm smile.
"Dad." Ace spoke up from behind but Mr. Callahan kept his gaze on Sia making her shiver feeling the depth of the stormy oceans.
"Take care, child." He said before he removed his hand from her head and started walking toward his friend.
"We'll take your leave now, David. Let's meet again soon." Mr. Callahan said and Sia's eyes went over to Ace who had turned to leave already.
She didn't even get to see his face properly.
Mr. Callahan and Ace started walking towards the door when a figure dashed inside nearly bumping into Ace.
"Oh! Hey–" It was Sia's younger sister Sophie Rosenstein.
Sia watched as Sophie talked with Mr. Callahan and turned her eyes frequently on Ace who gazed right at her. A strange feeling crept up at Sia's chest making her uneasy as she watched Sophie so easily gelling up with the two most powerful people of this nation.
Well, she was always the extrovert type. Sia thought to herself.
Mr. Callahan and Ace left and Sophie waltzed inside, she was dressed in a black tank top and black shorts with her red checks shirt tied at her hips. Her dark brown hair were in a mess and she grinned as she walked up to us.
"There you are." David spoke up and Sophie went and stuck to his side.
"Dad! I'm sorry, I got late. But luckily I didn't miss them." She said making David laugh while Sia just stood in the back and watched as her father smiled at her younger sister.
Sia's felt her phone vibrating from the table and she went and picked it up.
"Doctor!" A voice shouted in urgency from the other side.
"Melanie, what's wrong?" Sia asked calmly.
"There's an emergency, an accident patient is here, he's in a critical condition please hurry!" Sia looked at her wrist watch, it showed ten past one in the afternoon.
"I'll be there in ten, get the OT ready." She commanded and hung up.
"I'll need to leave now, there's an emergency." She announced not looking at her family as she walked out of the house.
The family butler Bernard quickly walked behind her and handed her the car keys and she quietly thanked him as she walked over to her silver Audi and sat inside.
It took her ten minutes to reach at the hospital and as soon as she was inside she dashed towards the stairs not turning towards the elevators. She reached on the third floor, her breath was still even as she made her way towards the OT and saw her assistant doctor Melanie Spenser standing outside.
"Doctor?" She approached her as soon as she saw her.
"Give me the details." Sia ordered as she walked towards the changing room.
"It's a boy of age ten, he was hit by a car..." Melanie listed out all the details of the injuries that the boy had as Sia changed into her navy blue scrubs and washed her hands thoroughly.
Melanie watched as Sia hurriedly and systematically changed into her surgeon's attire and spoke, "Let's go."
Sia and Melanie walked out of the changing room and were flanked by a woman and man.
"Doctor, how's my son?" The woman asked and Sia gave her a serene look.
"Ma'am, we'll try our best to save your son. Please hold yourself together and pray for his life." Sia said and then walked over to the OT.
As soon as Sia entered the operation theatre she felt the calm spread over her mind and body as she made her way towards the boy lying on the operating table, his pulse was stable for now but since he had lost a lot of blood. Sia at once started with the surgery and patchwork, time was an important factor here.
The operation took place for around five hours and when Sia walked out of the operation theatre she faced the parents of the boy again.
"Doctor, how's my son?" The woman asked with hopeful and teary eyes, Sia pulled her blue mask down and smiled.
"Don't worry, he's out of danger."
The couple rejoiced at her words and thanked her, "Don't thank me, he's safe because of your prayers." Sia said in a gentle voice as she saw the mother crying and hugging her husband.
She left them and walked towards the changing room again to wash up and change. As she was scrubbing her hands, Melanie entered the changing room.
"Good work there, doctor." She said and Sia nodded.
"So, how was it?" Melanie asked.
"You were there in the OT, Melanie, why'd you ask?" Sia said and Melanie rolled her eyes.
"I'm talking about the meeting with the Callahans." Melanie said and Sia's eyebrows scrunched a little as she recalled the meeting from earlier. She had forgotten about it completely when she stepped out of her house but now she recalled everything.
"Doc?" Melanie called out and Sia stepped away from the basin and wiping her hands with a clean towel.
"It was fine." She said and Melanie observed her but after finding nothing she sighed loudly.
"I can't understand you, doc. You are so hard to read." She complained making Sia smile.
"That's a good thing for me, I guess." She commented as she patted on Melanie's shoulder before she changed into her clothes.
"Did I tell you that you look beautiful in this dress?" Melanie said as Sia zipped her dress.
"No."
"Then, I'll say it now. Doc, you look so stunning in this dress." Melanie said with stars in her eyes, Sia turned to look at her and brushed her dark brown hair.
"Thank you." Melanie shook her head.
"Mr. Callahan is so lucky to have such a beautiful wife." Melanie said making Sia chuckle bitterly, he didn't even look at her.
Sia walked out of the hospital smiling at some of her patients and colleagues as she passed them and once outside she felt the chilly winds dancing across the place. It had turned dark and the clouds in the sky threatened to rain, she walked over towards the parking lot and sat inside her car.
The silence rang around her as she just sat there feeling the thoughts and the memories assault her consciousness as the fragments from the past were projected before her eyes. The hard mask of the smiling and serene Sia melted off of her face and the warm tears flowed down her flushed cheeks. She couldn't stop the pain that clutched her heart. The painful attacks that she had been facing since three years were less frequent but now the pain seemed to be unbearable.
Sia didn't know if she was a doctor or an actress, she had been hiding her pain and her feelings from everyone since a very long time and the one time when she found a person with whom she could be herself, it turned out that that person was actually using her for his own sick purposes. She had never found a home in her family and the place where she lived was just like a golden cage, she was allowed to work but her parents weren't quite thrilled with her working in another hospital while their family owned one of the biggest hospitals of the country.
The hard-hold of the Rosenstein rules and regulations choked her and since her childhood she was shattered time and again to mold her into the perfect child of the Rosenstein. Her sister though was a different case, she was born four years after her and was more like a fighter who never bowed down to any authority. Her father liked Sophie's untamed behavior and always gave her all the freedom which made Sia feel a little jealous of her but the she knew the rule of the Rosensteins, the older child was the face of the family. So, the responsibility to keep that face flawless and perfect was hers alone.
She didn't know how many minutes she had let herself break down but once she recovered she wiped her face and carefully covered her face with her stoic mask and drove back to her golden cage.